geocaching

We like Sundays to be a dedicated family day. After church, we try to have some sort of outing -- and prefer that it is free or as close to free as possible! One thing that we have started again is geocaching. Geocaching is a great family activity and once you have a GPS, there really aren't many more costs associated with it.

All over the country, there are hidden treasures. The coordinates are registered at websites like www.geocaching.com. All you have to do is search for a cache near where you'll be, write down (or print out) the coordinates and any tips, and start your search! Some are as tiny as a film canister, others are as big as a 5 gallon canister.

This past Sunday, we searched for 3 different geocaches all within 5 miles of our home. I am sorry that I forgot the camera, as we saw some beautiful scenery along the way. It was also pretty cute watching Lydia bounce along on her dad's side as we hiked through the desert. DH usually navigates us close to the spot, and I am the one to find the hidden caches.

On Sunday, we found 2 of the 3 caches. Although, we probably shouldn't even count #3 since we didn't get within .5 mile because it was a pretty steep climb. I tend to prefer kid-friendly caches, and thankfully there are plenty!

We recently emptied a peanut butter jar, and I washed it out so we can create our own cache to hide. Often, there are small trinkets that can be traded for, plus a log for people to record their findings. We have a handful of small plastic dinosaurs that we'll start ours with and I need to look for a small notebook (which I'm sure I can find in the house already!) Then, we need to paint the jar for camouflage and decide where to hide it. It'll be fun watching to see who finds it.